The invention relates to a method for loading and unloading large area transportation means, such as ships or the like, by means of a vertically spirally curved conveyor connected to goods loading and unloading means, in which the goods to be conveyed are discharged or taken up by a pivotable and optionally telescopical horizontal conveyor arranged on the lower end section thereof, as well as a goods transfer means for performing the method.
For performing methods of the aforementioned type, it is known to use vertical curved conveyors comprising spiral conveyor segments extending over a conveyor area of 360.degree., which can be motor-driven in reversible manner with respect to the conveying direction and are interconnected in module-like manner and fixed to a central supporting column and a supporting frame. The supporting column and frame are connected to an upper top part, which simultaneously serves as the goods transfer mechanism for goods loading and unloading means located outside the large area transportation means. On the lower end portion of the vertical curved conveyor is provided a horizontal conveyor, which is for example constructed as a telescopical conveyor belt with a reversible conveying direction, the end conveyor located on the free end portion being vertically pivotable for taking up or discharging goods. The lower spiral conveyor segment is associated with the horizontal conveyor having an invariable goods transfer section. This means that when the horizontal conveyor performs a pivotal movement, the lower spiral conveyor segment also rotates coaxially to the longitudinal axis of the vertical conveyor and the upper conveyor section of the lower spiral conveyor segment is displaced relative to the lower conveyor portion of the non-rotary spiral conveyor segment of the vertical conveyor located above the lower spiral conveyor segment. This leads to the disadvantage that the facing conveyor portions of the said spiral conveyor segments must undergo a height displacement relative to one another, so that a vertical conveyor constructed for loading the transportation space with goods cannot be immediately used for the unloading of said space, because the goods are placed on the lower conveyor portion of the non-rotary spiral conveyor segment. This problem similarly occurs if a vertical conveyor originally intended for unloading goods is used for loading goods. In such cases, it is necessary to avoid an accumulation of goods by transferring the same in a manual manner or by additionally installed auxiliary devices, which is prejudicial to speedy loading and/or unloading operations.